Time For A Change
by Shiny Snotra
Summary: Steve Rogers discovering the reality of women's fate. In honour of the 8th of March, and the Women's March.
1. The Discovery

Just a little something in honour of this particular day that is the 8th March. I added my playlist for the writing ! See ya at the end.

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Cats on Trees & Calogero – Jimmy

Brigitte – A Bouche Que Veux-Tu

Edwyn Collins – A Girl Like You

James Morisson – Man In The Mirror (acoustic)

Skip The Use – Ça (C'est Vraiment Toi)

The Black Keys – Lonely Boy

The Black Keys – Tighten Up

Charlie Puth – One Call Away

Vanessa Paradis – Divine Idylle

Matt Simons – Catch & Release (Deepend Remix)

Jean-Jacques Goldman – A Nos Actes Manqués

Robbie Williams – Feel

Queen – I Want To Break Free

Julian Perretta – Miracle

Damien Saez – Jeune Et Con

Hozier – Take Me To Church

Donna Lewis – I Love You Always Forever

U2 – Pride (In The Name Of Love)

Louise Attaque – Chaque Jour Reste Le Nôtre

Fréro Delavega – Ton Visage

Counting Crows – Mr Jones

Muse – Sunburn

INXS – Need You Tonight

Christine And The Queens – Christine

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 **Disclaimer :** Nothing belongs to me. Avengers is the property of Marvel, HeForShe belongs to the UN, and... I think that's all. Only the words are mine.

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The TV was on. It was not unusual, but Steve prefered to avoid watching it. Even though all his friends helped him adjust to this brave now world that was the 21st century, he still felt uncomfortable around the television. It was... too bright, too new, too much. Especially since they all lived at the Stark Tower renamed the Avengers Tower. Tony being the socially awkward person he was tried to manifest his affection for his partners by buying them gifts and creating the best items in the whole world for their missions, and all this technology was too strange for Steve. The nice boy from 20th century felt like he was in a cold and distant world, lost were the feelings, the respect, the proximity so dear to his heart.

So, the TV was on. The other Avengers were not listening, it was just a background noise. Natasha was reading a magasine, Bruce and Tony were excitedly chatting about a scientific thing, Clint was reading comics, and Thor... well Thor was just relaxing. It was enough rare for Steve to take a moment to observe the face of the god and to smile at the relaxed features. Talking of Steve, he was drawing absent-mindedly the faces of the Avengers, lost in his thoughts. Just another ordinary life scene in the Avengers Tower.

Suddenly, Steve came back to reality and listened to the TV. A report about the trial of a girl rapist was on air. Just the kind of person that the blond Captain despised with all his heart. But the poor boy was to be surprised even more... This rapist was acquitted and the girl had to pay an fine for slandering the so-called honorable man. Looking around, Steve found out that the others were either indifferent or afflicted, but none of them was outraged like the Captain was. Why ? Simply because they were used to listen to news like that, while Steve was not. He came from a time where women were respected and treated with love and regard. The only woman in their alliance was Natasha, and God have mercy of the stupid one trying to harass her... He would end up with his balls ripped off and his dignity in pieces. The others... Tony was known to be a womaniser, Bruce did not dare to have any relationship, Clint did not have a relationship – because he was in love with Natasha according to Tony – and Thor was a god with a crush on a Midgardian scientist. Yeah, they were really unlucky in love. Still... a rape was not something common and acceptable !

Later this day, the shy Captain asked Natasha and Pepper if they would accept to talk with him. Of course they accepted, and Steve found himself accepted into the ladies' lounge for privacy. Natasha in some ways was the most understanding of his situation and Pepper helped him with patience and kindness – after all she was used to the worst with Tony's behaviour. It took him some time to find the courage to talk without any filter about what was disturbing him.

"Hum... What is the situation of the women now ?"

"What do you mean Steve ?" asked kindly Pepper after a look exchanged between the two women.

"How are they treated ?" he clarified.

"Oh... You heard the report on the TV, hu ?" Natasha said. "Yeah, well... It's quite complicated. It evolved... in good and in bad. We can work, study, without being look at like aliens. But... we are paid less than men, it is rare for us to access to high jobs, and... there is also the problem of the woman image, as you heard on TV."

"I was criticised and so was Tony when I became CEO of Stark Industries. Well, he was more than usual, but it was the first time I was publicly acknowledged as an element of the Tony Stark Dynamic. Women are seen as sexual things and nothing else. Let me guess, in the report a girl sued her rapist and he was acquitted while she has to pay a fine ? It is more than common, because it is said to be the girl's fault, she was wearing something provocative and she incited him to rape her."

"This is... disgusting. Why should it be her fault ? The man is responsible for the rape ! And nothing is done ? I cannot believe it..." This was Steve's reaction. And judging by the looks Natasha and Pepper gave him, they were expecting that.

"There are some feminists trying to make things change, of course, but... sadly they are mostly mocked. The Femen are the most active group I think. But Emma Watson... you know who she is ?" After Steve's nod, Pepper talked again. "She talked to the UN and created the movement He For She. Concretely, she is trying to make men and boys fight for a change in the way women and girls are treated."

"I cannot imagine why women are so badly treated... sorry, but I really regret my old time now. You probably would not approve, but women were treated with respect... But I strongly believe we can act and make a difference. Since we are some kinds of superheroes, we should use it to make things change for the best."

And judging by the smiles they were giving to him, Natasha and Pepper were proud of him.

The following day, Tony mocked him because of his entrance into the private circle of women's chats, but he shut up after the glare Steve gave him. The blond spent most of his day on a computer surfing the Internet, searching for datas about the women rights and how to act, advised by JARVIS who was really enthusiastic about Steve's project. The AI was very aware of the whole situation thanks to his omniscience and even though he was not supposed to have feelings, he was despising the men so full of themselves. Steve suscribed to the website of the organisation HeForShe and used social media, guided by JARVIS, to publicly support the equal rights for women and men. And for the next missions, he would wear women clothes.

It was time for a change.

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Note : Hi guys, Stormy here. So, this short story is mainly an exercise for me, writing in English. As you may or may not know, English is not my birth language since I'm French. So please tell me if you see any mistake or weird sentences. This is not beta-ed. Also I write in UK English, or I try to do so.  
Also, I wanted to celebrate this particular day, and raise attention to the problems still existing. I dare to say that this is my first ever engaged writing. This is also my first time in this fandom and I hope I didn't screw it up. There are still big problems for women, in the Western part of the world and everywhere. We don't realise how lucky we are. Women are killed for being raped, for daring to say "I wanna be educated, I wanna go to school.". Can you imagine ? We want to say that we are civilised and better than anything else, still situations like that exist. We have the power to make things change, and we have to do it. Otherwise the fight that our ancestors made for us to live in a free world were useless. If you're a man and you read this, please get involved into HeForShe or anything dealing with feminism and sex equalities. We both deserve it.

Oh and don't hesitate to take a look at the playlist at the beginning. I was listening to the radio while writing so this is the list of the musics aired during those two hours. There is French, there is English. So... Try them ?

This short story is dedicated to D. Would, a wonderful writer and a wonderful woman. Thank you for everything you do for us. For today, the 8th of March, she asked us to write something about women, a picture, a quotation, our dreams, our hopes as women. So thank you for allowing me to be a doubful woman searching for myself.  
Please tell me what you think about this story. I am not satisfied by the end at all, but I didn't know how to end it. So it would be really nice and useful to have your opinion.  
Until the next time. xx


	2. The Women's March

After the whole stuff about the 20th and the 21st January, I felt like I had to write something. Here it is. See ya at the end.

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Gabrielle – 5 Fine Frøckner

Pentatonix – Hallelujah

Pentatonix – Sing

Pentatonix – Silent Night

Pentatonix ft. Lindsey Stirling – Papaoutai

Pentatonix – Say Something

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 **Disclaimer :** Same as previous chapter. Nothing belongs to me. The Avengers are the property of Marvel etc. Only the words are mine.

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It was not the first time Steve was talking fiercely to his comrades. And it was certainly not the last. Ever since the nice and caring Captain had realised the treatment reserved to women in this new world, he had spent hours educating himself with the help of JARVIS, and sometimes the intervention of Pepper or Natasha, in order to understand the issues in the better way possible. He had spent a lot of time and energy to convince his fellow masculine teammates to join him in the woman cause, and the results had amazed him. Bruce was very responsive, and he had help Steve to find new ways to raise awareness among the citizens. Clint tried to speak with the high authorities about it every time he went on a global mission. And Thor... Thor was very implied, speaking with the civilians during missions, during press conferences, or even in the streets. Steve had the feeling that being involved into actions like this one helped the Prince to become more responsible and a better Prince for Asgard. He already had the stuff of a good Prince, and he could become a great King, some day. Tony had been the hardest to convince, but when he realised the truth with the help of Pepper, he had become a leader of the woman cause with Steve. Not only did it help the cause, but it also helped the Avengers into being a better team. And for that, Steve was really proud.

On this particular day, the Captain was trying to persuade his friends to join him to the Women's March taking place the following day. The others were quite wary, because it meant direct opposition to the new political figures of the United States and the Avengers were independent, not picking a side except during missions. Surprisingly, it was Tony who supported him first. As the brunet said "If I can piss an unsufferable politician, I'm all on board. This man is really awful, and one day or the other, we will have to oppose to him. So better tomorrow. C'mon guys!". And finally, with the two forces that were Steve and Tony, the Avengers agreed to go and to prove their support to the Women's March. It was a very important demonstration, for lots of causes, like the LGBT+, the Planned Parenhood, or even the safety of women. And looking at his partners, Steve was feeling really proud. They could make a change. They could help and give hope. They could take down another tyrant.

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Note : So... back there. Stormy. Yes, the author name changed. My co-writer decided she could no longer be involded into the writing, and I wish her the best. Anyway. Not why you're here. English is still not my birth language. So if you see weird spelling, mistakes, or weird sentences... please tell me.  
With all the things happening, I felt like I had to write something about it. And this story happened to be the perfect way. Yes, it is engaged. The Women's March happened on this Saturday. I couldn't be a part of it, not in the USA, and not in France. Perks of living in an isolated village. This was amazing. Seriously. It warmed my heart, and I felt so happy to see all this energy, and so sad because it is still necessary in 2017. So... my modest contribution. I did not dare write about the Avengers inside the Women's March, because I did not lived it in the inside, and I felt it would be inappropriate, and I feared it would turn awkward or twist this beautiful movement. Anyway, with the Orange Face being the President of the United States, with what is coming in May for the French elections... I am very afraid of the future. We are part of the Resistance, now.  
This story is dedicated to all the beautiful women in the world, whether they have a vagina or not, whoever they are. You are unique, you are worth it, and you are wonderful. Stay safe, y'all.  
Until the next time. xx


End file.
